Guns in National parks

Well as of Monday February 22 2010 Federal parks will allow legal citizens to carry firearms in federal parks. From the NRA-ILA:

"End nears for 94-year-old ban on Right-to-Carry in national parks

A new law will lift the 94 year old ban on carrying loaded firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges when it goes into effect Monday. The law, passed by Congress in May as an amendment to a credit reform bill, will end the ability of the National Park Service to set its own gun carry restrictions, making each park subject to the gun laws of its home state."


"U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces firearms rule change for possession in National Wildlife Refuges

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that effective February 22, 2010, the rules governing possession of firearms on National Wildlife Refuges will change as a result of legislation enacted by Congress. After this date, the law allows an individual to lawfully possess a firearm within the boundaries of a national wildlife refuge in accordance with federal, state and local firearms laws."

Some would consider this a victory for gun rights, but I consider it a slap in the face of the Constitution. Why would I say this you ask. I Say this because the The Constitution of the United States comprises the primary law of the U.S. Federal Government. It also describes the three chief branches of the Federal Government and their jurisdictions. In addition, it lays out the basic rights of citizens of the United States. The Constitution of the United States is the oldest Federal constitution in existence and was framed by a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen original states in Philadelphia in May 1787. The Constitution is the landmark legal document of the United States.

With that being said The federal Government has been in violation of it's only governing document by preventing the citizens of the United States of America from exercising one of their basic rights, the right to keep and bear arms. By making it against the law to have a firearm in a federal park our own Government was violating one of our constitutional rights.

By changing the law as of 2-22-2010 the Government is only coming into compliance with it's own governing document the US Constitution. So I do not consider this a victory for gun rights but a victory for all US citizens. We have been given back one of our basic right as provided in The US constitution.

As of Monday, guns will be allowed in all but about 20 of the park service's 392 locations, including some of its most iconic parks: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park. Guns will not be allowed in visitor centers or rangers' offices, because firearms are banned in federal buildings, but they could be carried into private lodges or concession stands, depending on state laws.

From Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign:
"It really is sad that we've become such a paranoid society that people want to take guns pretty much everywhere — including national parks"

Bill Wade, president of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, called the new law a sad chapter in the history of the park system.

"People go to national parks to get away from things that they face in their everyday living, where they live and work. Now I think that social dynamic is really going to change," he said.

The National Park Service said there were 3,760 reported major crimes, including five homicides and 37 rapes, in 2008, the most recent year for which data was available.



So anti-gun people will try to lead you to believe that guns in the hands of legal law abiding citizens will be a bad thing. They don't believe in our God given right to life. They think we should all be innocent victims, they try to maintain the "GUN FREE" killing zones that crazy homicidal killers seek out to do harm to unarmed victims.

Let's be real I would much prefer to see people walking trails with a sidearm than to see a group of men wanting to do harm to me or my family on a trail and all I have for defense is a stick or a rock. Because they know I as a law abiding citizen would not have a firearm on me. The very laws the the anti-gunners push as trying to keep guns out of the hands of criminals are really meant to disarm law abiding citizens.

A convicted felon cannot legally own a firearm but yet they commit crimes with them. The city of Chicago IL, has some of the countries most stringent gun laws and In 2005, 75% of murders involved a firearm(wikipedia). In a city where it is illegal to own a handgun how can 75% of the murders committed there be by a gun? It is because gun laws only work on those who choose to abide by them.

Criminals don't follow any laws so gun control laws do nothing to prevent violent felons from committing violent crimes with guns. The gun control laws only make law abiding citizens into victims.